Project Fat Suit

Thirty: Drama

Chapter Thirty: Drama

“Sherry, you know how I feel about talking about my feelings,” I murmured sheepishly, fidgeting with the bottom of my hood.

“But, this is my grandson we’re talking about,” she pointed out. “And, Rena. Do I have to remind you that I have less than a week left to talk to you about this stuff?”

At the mention of her death, I quieted, not quite over the fact that Sherry, the liveliest and free-spirited person I knew, was passing away.

Silence filled the room and Sherry, realizing why, started to apologize, “Oh, I’m so sorry, dear. I guess you’re still not comfortable about it,” She patted my hand as if that would comfort me.

I just gave her a meek smile. “I don’t really know why I started crushing on him. We were just talking about Liam one day and I suddenly realized my feelings for him,” I told her, changing the subject quickly.

“Why haven’t you made your move yet?” Sherry asked, giving me a disappointed look.

“Sherry, he’s still with Holly. That’s why I was avoiding him for two weeks. I didn’t want to split them up. They’re such a good couple and she makes him so happy. And I’m sure it’s the other way around. I don’t even know why I agreed to start talking to him again. I still have no idea what to do about that.”

“Rena, have I ever told you about my late husband, Rick?” Sherry asked, rather randomly.

“No,” I answered, unsure of why she was asking.

Come to think of it, she never really mentioned him. At all. I just figured it was a taboo subject.

“Well, it was 1966 when I met him. Oh, he was a wild, young thing. I was working as a waitress in a little diner and he would always come in and make a huge mess, which I had to clean up. At first, I really didn’t like him, but one day I tripped on some soda he had spilled. I started bleeding badly and Rick was really freaked out, so he took me to the hospital. He literally just swept me up, threw him in his car, and drove away,” Sherry took a pause, as if she were remembering the night herself.

“As he was driving, his hands were shaking and he kept swerving off into other lanes. And I told him that he drove worse than my cat. And he told me to shut up, which I responded with by yelling at him for making me trip. We continued to argue and I guess he lost focus of the road. The next thing I know, he drove straight into another car. I don’t really remember anything after that, but there was screaming, lots of it. I blacked out and woke up, seeing nothing. The glass shards from the windshield ended up in my eye and took away my vision.”

“Sherry, you fell in love with the person who made you blind?” I asked, shocked at the outcome. I always thought that she was born that way.

“I know, I know. Very cliché. But he was the one who got me through it. He was the one who was there for me. His hands were always there to guide me, help me, and hold me. Deep down, I always thought it was because he was guilty, but eventually I fell for his occasionally sweet, yet teasing self, but he had a fiancé, one who he loved very much. I remember meeting her. She was so nice and caring. So from that day one, I swore to myself that I would never break them up. I mean, how could a blind girl compete? But Rick noticed something was different about me, so I told him.” Sherry stopped again.

By this time, I was fully engaged in the story, waiting anxiously for her to continue it even though I knew she ended up with the guy in the end.